Hokkaido Car Rental: Winter Driving, Pickup and Tips
Hokkaido is Japan's most car-friendly region, but winter needs care. Rental offices are in Chitose City, reached by company buses from New Chitose Airport. Winter tyres are standard in Hokkaido at major companies during the winter season.
Can you drive with a foreign licence?
Korean licence holders can drive in Japan with a Korean IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, for up to one year from entry into Japan (and within the IDP's own 1-year validity). IDPs under other conventions are not valid. Rental companies also ask for your Korean licence and passport.
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What to bring
- Korean IDP (1949 Geneva Convention)
- Korean driving licence
- Passport
- Credit card in the driver's name
- Booking confirmation
Road rules that catch visitors out
- Traffic keeps left; the driver's seat is on the right.
- No turning on a red light — straight, left and right must all stop.
- Stop before every railway crossing and check it is safe, unless a signal tells you to go.
- Drink-driving: from 0.15 mg per litre of breath is a crime (up to 3 years or ¥500,000). Do not drink at all before driving.
- Children under 6 must ride in a child seat.
- Expressways: 100 km/h for cars unless signed otherwise. General roads: 60 km/h with a centre line or marked lanes, 30 km/h on other roads (Enforcement Order Art. 11).
Where to pick up
Rental counters are on 1F of New Chitose Airport's domestic terminal. Cars are not handed over at the terminal; each company takes customers by bus to its office in Chitose City, and back on return.
Insurance to check
- CDW (collision damage waiver) covers your share of damage costs, but not the NOC.
- NOC (Non-Operation Charge) compensates the rental company for lost business while the car is repaired. It applies regardless of damage size. Toyota Rent a Car lists ¥20,000 if the car can be driven back and ¥50,000 if not.
- Some companies sell an add-on that waives the NOC (e.g. Toyota's extra protection package).
- Check what happens with a flat tyre, lost key or running out of fuel under your plan.
Booking tips
- Nippon Rent-A-Car fits winter tyres as standard in Hokkaido from 1 November to 20 April; confirm your company's dates.
- Deer collisions (Ezo deer) are frequent in autumn and winter; the Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau publishes a collision map.
- The Hokkaido Expressway Pass (HEP) for foreign visitors is sold through rental companies with an ETC card.
- In snow, allow much longer braking distances and avoid sudden steering.
FAQ
Do I pay extra for snow tyres in Hokkaido?
Major companies treat them as standard in snowy regions in season (Nippon: free in heavy-snow areas; Toyota excludes regions where they are standard from its winter-tyre fee). Check your booking.
Where do I get my car at New Chitose Airport?
Check in at the 1F counter of the domestic terminal, then ride the company bus to its office in Chitose City.